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Fast Money & Foreign Objects
This eerie German colonial village is being slowly buried by desert sands
Wikimedia CommonsSand now fills most of the town's homes.
A desert in southern Africa is probably the last place you would expect to find a little slice of German life.
But knee-deep in the shifting sands of the Namib Desert in Namibia, the abandoned village of Kolmanskop stands as a testament to German colonization of the early 20th century.
The town sprung up around a diamond-mining operation and quickly became known as one of the richest towns in southern Namibia, a German colony until World War I.
The diamond fields were so bountiful that some say the precious stones could be scooped right out of the sand.
The town had numerous amenities including a hospital, casino, ice factory, and electrical plant, and even its own swimming pool. Kolmanskop's German heritage is unmistakable in the style of the once pristine villas and shops, and many signs about the town are in German.
But with Germany losing World War I and diamond production moving elsewhere, the town soon lost its prosperity and was entirely abandoned by 1954. Now it survives as an attraction with guided tours bringing tourists through the empty houses filling with sand as the desert slowly retakes the town.
View As: One Page Slides
The town of Kolmanskop lies about 8 miles in from the Atlantic coast and is accessible with tours from the nearby port of Lüderitz.
Wikimedia Commons
As a large swath of the area is still an active diamond field, entrance to the "Sperrgebiet" — "Prohibited Area" in German — is restricted to only those with permits.
Flickr/Geof Wilson
Allegedly, a railroad worker found a huge diamond in the sand while shoveling next to the tracks in 1908. Word spread quickly, and soon a diamond rush began.
Flickr/coda
The town soon became a bustling center of business. Here, the entrance shows the town's German spelling. "Kolmanskop" is Afrikaans.
Wikimedia Commons
This house was owned by the former mine manager. Its restoration shows the huge wealth of the town and the mine officials, as well as the beautiful turn of the century German architecture.
Flickr/Marko Samastur
This is the dining room, complete with period German colonial furnishings.
Flickr/Stuart Orford
However, very few houses have been restored. Most lie in a decrepit state of decay, buffeted by the desert wind.
Flickr/Project Trust
Some houses are filled with sand reaching from knee depth all the way to the ceilings.
Flickr/Michiel Van Balen
The railroad running through brought further growth. The desert community's peak was around 1,200 workers and residents immediately following WWI.
Flickr/jbdodane
Kolmanskop's luxurious amenities once included a theater and a bowling alley.
Flickr/Tee La Rosa
The town had electricity, a water supply brought in by rail, and was home to Africa's first tram system.
Flickr/jbdodane
The residents enjoyed breathtaking views of the arid Namib desert, which is now reclaiming the town.
Flickr/gaftels
This bedroom's restored decor is typical of early 20th century German colonial homes.
Flickr/Tee La Rosa
The town has been used as a location in numerous films.
Flickr/David Stanley
It's popular with photographers too, who hope to capture it before the desert reclaims it entirely.
Wikimedia Commons
Families of affluent mine officials who strolled the streets are long gone; only tourists visit Kolmanskop now, a curiosity in the shifting sand.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/kolmanskop-german-village-in-african-desert-2015-8#ixzz3iwQfUJjU
- Aug. 14, 2015, 11:52 AM
- 25,615
- 1
A desert in southern Africa is probably the last place you would expect to find a little slice of German life.
But knee-deep in the shifting sands of the Namib Desert in Namibia, the abandoned village of Kolmanskop stands as a testament to German colonization of the early 20th century.
The town sprung up around a diamond-mining operation and quickly became known as one of the richest towns in southern Namibia, a German colony until World War I.
The diamond fields were so bountiful that some say the precious stones could be scooped right out of the sand.
The town had numerous amenities including a hospital, casino, ice factory, and electrical plant, and even its own swimming pool. Kolmanskop's German heritage is unmistakable in the style of the once pristine villas and shops, and many signs about the town are in German.
But with Germany losing World War I and diamond production moving elsewhere, the town soon lost its prosperity and was entirely abandoned by 1954. Now it survives as an attraction with guided tours bringing tourists through the empty houses filling with sand as the desert slowly retakes the town.
View As: One Page Slides
The town of Kolmanskop lies about 8 miles in from the Atlantic coast and is accessible with tours from the nearby port of Lüderitz.
Wikimedia Commons
As a large swath of the area is still an active diamond field, entrance to the "Sperrgebiet" — "Prohibited Area" in German — is restricted to only those with permits.
Flickr/Geof Wilson
Allegedly, a railroad worker found a huge diamond in the sand while shoveling next to the tracks in 1908. Word spread quickly, and soon a diamond rush began.
Flickr/coda
The town soon became a bustling center of business. Here, the entrance shows the town's German spelling. "Kolmanskop" is Afrikaans.
Wikimedia Commons
This house was owned by the former mine manager. Its restoration shows the huge wealth of the town and the mine officials, as well as the beautiful turn of the century German architecture.
Flickr/Marko Samastur
This is the dining room, complete with period German colonial furnishings.
Flickr/Stuart Orford
However, very few houses have been restored. Most lie in a decrepit state of decay, buffeted by the desert wind.
Flickr/Project Trust
Some houses are filled with sand reaching from knee depth all the way to the ceilings.
Flickr/Michiel Van Balen
The railroad running through brought further growth. The desert community's peak was around 1,200 workers and residents immediately following WWI.
Flickr/jbdodane
Kolmanskop's luxurious amenities once included a theater and a bowling alley.
Flickr/Tee La Rosa
The town had electricity, a water supply brought in by rail, and was home to Africa's first tram system.
Flickr/jbdodane
The residents enjoyed breathtaking views of the arid Namib desert, which is now reclaiming the town.
Flickr/gaftels
This bedroom's restored decor is typical of early 20th century German colonial homes.
Flickr/Tee La Rosa
The town has been used as a location in numerous films.
Flickr/David Stanley
It's popular with photographers too, who hope to capture it before the desert reclaims it entirely.
Wikimedia Commons
Families of affluent mine officials who strolled the streets are long gone; only tourists visit Kolmanskop now, a curiosity in the shifting sand.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/kolmanskop-german-village-in-african-desert-2015-8#ixzz3iwQfUJjU
